Thank You from Tosh Berman

First of all, I want to thank everyone who came to my events in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Portland. What I find amazing, is that each event was different from the other one. Great attendance throughout the tour, but the conversations were different. No one asked the same questions as far as I can remember. My book TOSH is very textural, and each reader gets something personal or different from the other person. I can't explain why, but it just happens that way. I'm still high from the tour, and I'm just thrilled to see all of you out there, and such interesting comments from the audience as well. Amazing. Really amazing. - Tosh Berman

Tosh Berman and Kevin Sampsell at Powell's Books in Portland

Some photos from Tosh Berman's reading/signing/discussion with author Kevin Sampsell at Powell's in Portland last Monday. A great event in a fab town and an awesome book store! - Kimley Maretzo

Tosh on Tour for "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" 2019

Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 7pm  San Francisco, CA: City Lights Bookstore www.citylights.com We are looking forward to celebrating TOSH, published by City Lights! Tosh Berman will be in conversation with Natalia Mount, Executive Director, Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 7:30pm  Los Angeles, CA: Skylight Books www.skylightbooks.com In conversation with actor Jason Schwartzman. Skylight is located at1 818 N Vermont Avenue. For more info: events@skylightbooks.com & 323-660-1175. Friday February 1, 2019, 7pm  Berkeley, CA: Moe's Bookstore http://www.moesbooks.com Moe's is located at 2476 Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. For more info contact Owen Hill  owenmoes@gmail.com.   Monday, February 4th, 7:30pm  Portland, OR: Powell's on Hawthorne http://www.powells.com/calendar Tosh Berman in conversation with Kevin Sampsell about his new book, Tosh: Growing Up In Wallace Berman's World.  Powell's on Hawthorne is located at 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214. For more info contact: jeremy.garber@powells.com. Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 7pm  West Hollywood, CA: Book Soup https://www.booksoup.com/event Book Soup is located at 8818 Sunset Blvd.  For more info contact Jen Ramos at jramos@vromansbookstore.com. Tuesday Feb 19th, 7:30pm  New York NY: Aeon Books https://aeonbookstore.com/ Aeon Books is located at 151 E Broadway New York, NY 10002. For more info 917 675 7523  &  info@aeonbookstore.com Thursday, February 21st at 7pm  Brooklyn, NY: McNally Jackson https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event Tosh Berman in conversation with Gillian McCain. McNally Jackson's Williamsburg store is located at 76 N 4th Street Brooklyn NY 11249.  For more info  718 387 0115 & events.mcnallyjackson@gmail.com Saturday, February 23rd 3:00-5:00pm  Long Island City, NY: ARTBOOK @ MoMA PS1 Bookstore http://www.artbook.com/artbookps1.html ARTBOOK @ MoMA PS1 Bookstore is located at 22-25 Jackson Ave (at 46th Ave.) Long Island City, NY 11101.  For questions about the event: booksmomaps1@artbook.com T (718) 433-1088 Saturday, March 9th, 3-5pm  Los Angeles, CA: ARTBOOK @Hauser & Wirth http://www.artbook.com/artbook-hws-la.html Tosh Berman in conversation with Claudia Bohn-Spector. ARTBOOK @Hauser & Wirth is located at 917 East 3rd Street Los Angeles CA 90013. For more info 213-988-7413 or contact Lacy Soto lsoto@artbook.com For more information, check out http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100746120&fa=events&fbclid=IwAR10Q5i_uPZp4_hfPBonZ4mYrbLaRtGEQAnXIa3CivaunNy92tiEPcJjDjo#.W-xQkc6SnCo.facebook

"Low Man On A Totem Pole" by H. Allen Smith

What a discovery!  As I mentioned in another review of a H. Allen Smith title, I was at Powell's in Portland and I came across his books.  Used of course and i have to presume that all seven titles there was from a person who gave it up.  Not for money, but more likely for space, or a mad Uncle left it to a family member or something totally undramatic.  Nevertheless I have become a mega-fan of H. Allen Smith.

"Low Man on a Totem Pole is a collection of articles he wrote for the New York World - Telegram sometime in the 1940's.  What i have is the first edition hard cover copy, and as far as I know this book is now out-of-print, which I find deeply disturbing.  One, because Smith is an excellent writer and for sure one of the best of the old-school Manhattanites of the 30's and 40's.  in the same game park of James Thurber or even Dorothy Parker.  Extremely witty, and here is a writer at work because he had to turn in a column for his paper probably on a daily or weekly schedule.

My favorite pieces in this book deals with "Hollywood."  And it seems at the time a lot of NYC journalists treated Hollywood as the capital of weirdoland.  Which may or may not be the case, but one gets the impression that Smith had to cover the Hollywood beat with respect to interviewing the stars, but his heart wasn't really into it.  But that didn't stop this talented writer in making hysterical commentary regarding a journalist interviewing a movie star placed in NYC to promote a picture.  But saying that he is never mean to his subject matter, he makes fun of himself making fun of his subject matter.  But what is interesting is how a New Yorker or someone from that culture looks at Hollywood.

But his observations are spot-on and he lived in an interesting world.  It's sad to think that the type of world he wrote about (1940's Manhattan and Hollywood) is now totally gone.  Like this book, that is not in print.  But mark my words, H. Allen Smith is a brilliant stylist and a very very funny man.

"Sparks-Tastic: Twenty-One Nights with Sparks in London" by Tosh Berman

ISBN: 9780983925583

$14.00

Published by A Barnacle Book (Distribution by Publishers Group West)

Publication Date: May 14, 2013

In 2008, Tosh Berman--author and publisher of TamTam Books--got on a plane with a single motive: "Sparks Spectacular." It had been announced that the band Sparks would perform all twenty-one of their albums in a succession of twenty-one nights in London...a monumental experience for any Sparks fanatic. Part travel journal, part personal memoir, Berman takes us through the streets of London and Paris, observing both cities' history and culture through the eye of an obsessive Sparks fan's lens. Including album-by-album reviews of all twenty-one albums and beyond, "Sparks-Tastic" defines a place and time in music history that's too defining to be ignored.

2013 Book Tour: 

April 21:  Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.  Rare Bird Booth No. 065.   Signing books from 12:30 to 1:00 P.M.

April 23:  Stories Books in Los Angeles (Echo Park)

April 24: City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco

April 25:  Powell's Bookstore in Portland, OR

April 29:  Book Soup in West Hollywood (Los Angeles)

More to come.....

Right now due to the reading tour that will soon take place, the book "Sparks-Tastic" is available at the above independent bookstores.   Feel free to contact them if you want to pre-order a signed copy of the book by yours truly.

On May 14, "Sparks-Tastic" will be officially released and one can get it on their favorite online shops as well as Independent bookstores through out the U.S.A and the U.K.  Also I imagine various music stores will be carrying this title as well.  And remember, if you can shop at your favorite neighborhood bookstore or music shop please do so.

- Tosh Berman